The secret Democratic plot to destroy the freedom movement with a $10 cigar tax
July 20th, 2007 by Steve
Move over 9/11 Truthers, as I’ve got a new conspiracy theory for you. With respect to the proposed tax increase on cigars, former Congressman Bob Barr seems to sympathize with the cigars:
I realize a good cigar when I smoke one, but I don’t know of a cigar that deserves a ridiculous tax of $10 on it.
while I’m apparently sympathizing with smugglers and black marketers:
The ironic thing is that this will make the cost of smuggling Cubans [cigars, not people - although I hear this isn’t that expensive, either] into the country significantly cheaper than legally purchasing higher-end cigars at the local cigar shop.
According to Jerome Tuccille, It Usually Begins With Ayn Rand. My observation lately is that it sometimes begins with Washington Times assistant national news editor (and for you Alabamians, he’s a Georgian who went to Jacksonville State) Robert Stacy McCain, who’s rarely seen without a cigarette. But since the Democrats want to charge considerably higher new taxes for cigars than for cigarettes, let’s move back to that topic.
Barr does know about cigars, and not just from testimony in the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinsky affair. I’ve smoked cigars with Barr twice that I recall (probably will for a third time next week) and provided the top photograph as pictorial evidence. McCain probably started it all with this bogus excuse to get himself out of trouble at the Washington Times 25th Anniversary Gala:
After the alarm continued for more than a minute, I decided to go investigate the cause. Finding no sign of fire or smoke, I proceeded out the F Street exit, where I encountered Libertarian Party political director Stephen Gordon and the LP national chairman, Bill Redpath. I took advantage of this opportunity to inquire of Mr. Gordon about LP affairs, and asked whether the party’s Region 4 representative, Bob Barr, was in attendance. Mr. Gordon told me that Mr. Barr was indeed present for the gala, and was seated at the National Rifle Association’s table.
That’s when Mr. Gordon told me he believed that Mr. Barr had activated a smoke alarm by smoking a cigar on the premises.
Was Mr. Gordon joking? Well, Mr. Barr is indeed a cigar smoker and he has a reputation for mischief. And you know what they say about libertarians ….
Like Governor Riley’s tax plan, this whole thing really isn’t about the children. If the Democrats were more capable of organizational skills, they’d have their own version of Karl Rove - who would certainly love a way to shut down the freedom movement, bankrupt the Washington Times and exact revenge upon Barr for his role in the Clinton scandal. What better way than to tax their opposition to death?
By the way, McCain really is never seen without a cigarette. He’s the guy on the left in the second photo.
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Robert Stacy McCain wrote on 07/25/07 at 11:02 am :
Gordo, that photo would have been much better if, instead of sitting around Orlando, we had been on the beach at Daytona.